Kerry+Storace+portfolio+Introduction

Kerry Storace December 22, 2014 CTGE 5531 Portfolio Introduction Dear Reader,

 Throughout this semester, I have learned and researched many aspects of linguistics. I have considered it from the point of view of other cultures as well as from the perspective of a teacher. Standard English has been compared to casual language and I have learned how to use discourse to enhance students’ interest in grammar. Many of my acquired skills will be described and elaborated upon in the following pages, however, overall, the most significant thing I can take away from this learning experience is how language relates to prejudice.  It is true that one of my work examples is an essay specifically relating to that topic, however, that issue comes up many times in the following portfolio. So much of how we judge people is based on the way they speak. Just like one article said, if your physician comes out and speaks grammatically incorrect with a heavy accent of some sort we might be inclined not to trust that doctor. Because of these prejudices, it is our job as educators to ensure that students have the correct skills to thrive in the professional and academic world. As teachers, when we meet these students, they may not have these skills yet. This is why it is so important not to judge students based on their language. My future goal is to consider each student as an individual and to learn and develop along with them without categorizing them.